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valmont121 | politics | t5_2cneq | c0qjpbz | 34 Republican electoral votes every presidential election.
How idiotic is it to want to remove citizens from the Union on the basis of their political affiliation? You are basically destroying the democratic ideal.
> Violating the constitution in public schools
Because it is SO constitutional for a state to secede, right? Texas v. White anyone? Wow, you're a n00b.
> Kill more Americans per year in the prison system than any other state
The death penalty is a constitutionally protected State right. You know what the Constitution is, don't you?
> Bush lives there 0.0
Yeah, that'll solve everything. Kick a democratically elected president out. You don't think he was democratically elected? Well, take it to the Supreme Court then. Oh... | you basically pissed on every american institution that protects your rights, liberties and representativity. May God have mercy on your soul. |
doody | politics | t5_2cneq | c0s5vg4 | Do you actually have something that would specifically discount that effect when applied to Chicago, or are we going to stick to random, tangential differences between the countries that in no way affect the actual reasons the policy works?
Sure: the policy in Switzerland doesn’t work in the way you suggest because that isn’t what it sets out to do. The armed populace is to defend the Swiss from invasion, not from each other.
Switzerland’s crime isn’t driven by a sea of illicit weapons and a belief in drugs, prostitution and gangs as a route to wealth. The Swiss route to wealth is ornate little watches, legal pharmacology, banking and science. And skiing. Oh yeah, and chocolate. When rappers start banging about processing cocoa butter instead of coca leaves, then the situations may converge. | My $0.02 is, in Switzerland, criminals are seen mostly as losers. In Chicago, they’re folk heros. |
slomo68 | politics | t5_2cneq | c0s6mha | In contrast, thieves would agree that people should not steal.
That reminds me of an Italo Calvino story, [Black Sheep]( strangely relevant to this conversation.
> There was a country where they were all thieves. At night everybody would leave home with skeleton keys and shaded lanterns and go and burgle a neighbour’s house. They’d get back at dawn, loaded, to find their own house had been robbed. ... | in the story, the system only worked if everybody was a thief. Once there was a single person who refused to steal, the system collapsed. |
pedal2000 | politics | t5_2cneq | c0sbv6d | Alright, let's see.
I don't care about learning from you because you're an idiot who believes that eliminating non-violent criminals from jail would somehow solve the issues discussed in this thread.
Doing so would have the effects you listed, along with severely increasing the rates of shop lifting as penalties went down. For example, why wouldn't you shoplift if, as you suggested, it was a fine and community service? I would very likely be able to make money on it. You're example, being not only stupid but poorly thoughtout deserved my response.
Here's some things to think about champ. The lifestyle you enjoy, the one you live right now is indirectly related to the size of America's war budget. Let's consider a few key points. First you assume that social services and infrastructure could be built with the money saved on prisons. I think you would be very surprised to find how little money would truly 'free up' based on your plan at a state level. I'm not sure what you were thinking when you mixed state and federal finances but that's fine, we'll roll with it after all you're a major dumbshit so I mean that happens sometimes.
So let's say we cut the war budget down to a much smaller amount, enough to keep America in first, in theory, while simutaneously reallocating that money to infrastructure and social services. What social services I could ask, afterall, the few America does have (Schools, and uh... oh, Veteran's programs. Which would be cut. Because there would be less Veterans. And less budget.) likely could use the funding, albiet not all of it because well, you dump a shitload of money into fighting. Any attempts to EXPAND the social services of course would be fought tooth and nail by the Republicans. Not to mention decreasing the military means less jobs overall for poor people. So I guess realistically you could say that you'd be using them for temporary construction jobs as infrastructure went up; then paying for them on unemployment. Which would actually cost you less. But they wouldn't be working. Which means they cause more social issues. Which means it's a good thing you provided social programs for them. By cutting the jobs they currently had.
However let's move on. Realistically cutting the Militaries budget isn't a horrible idea. That said you move on from this assumption to one of "Everyone's standard of living would increase, we'd all have more productive jobs (wut?) and gross household income may increase as well."
Alright. I'm not sure where to start, so let's see. First off, the only standard of living increase that would come from say, social services, applies to old people and poor people. Which is great; but you have to understand that YOU would not benefit at all. That means "Everyone" is a lie. Your average SoL would go up, that's true. But only because the bottom was going up, not because the world was suddenly happy go lucky.
As for having more productive jobs. Yes. Clearly if we cut Government spending...suddenly there would be more productive jobs. Let's sack, (for arguments sake), half the military jobs in the USA. That means you have to replace them. With what? I assume you envision some grand construction projects across the US using up all those resources; but here is a more likely scenario. Some places would get more jobs, those without jobs in those places would get said jobs. Those who were laid off from the Military might, if the expansion happened where they live but many would be left in the dust because well, frankly, it's impossible to bring jobs to all of them across the US. The army works because they come to you. On top of this, the construction jobs are TEMPORARY; the military is at least four years after which they are left with a good financial basis to begin their lives.
Then again, I could easily also question how you think 'productive jobs' would come from an expansion in social services. If you expand social services, that means you either have an over capacity (in which case you have people sitting on their asses doing nothing, government waste.) or you have say, at capacity, which means you have even more people on social welfare and not working a productive job. Either way, game over.
So on average, I could see a standard of living increase, because yes, having welfare programs helps with that sort of thing. Then again, you'd fuck over a lot of people who I don't think you're really considering at all. But whatever, I'm sure everyone will 'prosper'.
So then you go on to say the amount of resources is obscene. I'm not really sure what you're definition of obscene is, but I doubt we share it. Obscene is half of the Government spending, similar to your current expenditures on the Military, not say, 15 billion from California. Which is an est I got from google a few seconds ago, so accuracy counts. Which is barely shit all of their budget. I suspect less than 20% since they apparently spend similar amounts on Post 2ndary Education. Which is hardly 'obscene' considering it's one of the jobs of the Government to provide. But making exaggerated claims is fun!
So let's keep rolling, since you knwo we're pretty good at this. Back to the start Champ. So let's say you cut your military. Let's presume that pulling out of Iraq (even without fixing things, which would be y'know, proper.) goes as planned. Let's assume that America stops using it's military to help secure valuable resources for itself. That means the end of cheap gas, which by extension means the end of what most of American society is currently based on. That means the cost of everything, from the condom you jerk off to while crying at night to the cost of the computer you jerk onto while crying at day is going to go up. Travel will become more costly, and some would argue that's a good thing - after all three cheers for the environment and market price signals, but others, say, the president, who has to consider the health of the Economy, might disagree. They look at that and realize that cutting the military budget would both decrease the size of the American economy, but also be a massive political battle to decrease the military, and a second one to increase the size of the social services. Hell, most of the 'leftists' in the US can't even be brought on board for Healthcare reform; little alone one of the largest expansions of Government services you'd like to see.
I might support what you aim for, but I also recognize it is...unrealistic. Moronic even. I don't need to sit there and wait for someone else to think through all the facts, if you had anything good to present you should've done so in your initial argument. Instead you just talked about releasing non-violent offenders, presumably you do pot and don't support its illegalization (Frankly I'm neutral on it all) but it isn't just drug addicts who would get out. People who threatened assault, bank robbers, shoplifters, people who go destroy their ex's car. I don't think you truly understand how broad 'non-violent' extends, because you've never really thought about it beyond the convient facts. | even though I agree with your intentions, I understand that the facts in life are against you. I don't need to sit there and argue with you about what I already know. I definitely feel even less need when you've proven to me that you enjoy mudslinging like most right wing dumbfucks. Get over yourself. You have no brilliant nor unique ideas that I am totally unaware of. |
TastyRoss | technology | t5_2qh16 | c0sdbe9 | A microcell is essentially a low power transceiver which one can purchase/rent from a carrier in order to improve cellular coverage from said carrier with in a small range (i.e. a house or several apartments). The issue here is that the device does not connect directly to the carrier's network; instead it must be connected through a broadband connection provided by the user. | AT&T wants to charge subscribers for data usage which has already been purchased from a seperate ISP. |
Purehatred | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c0se89v | Agreed, aside from the point that it got worse with each installment; I was still blown away by Apocalypse.
Even though it was a fundamentally different game.
I'm looking forward to the reboot, if done right, it could be one of the most engaging games to play in a long time; In interviews I have read that they still want to keep the base and the overworld map, and non-linear missions.
the twist being that instead of being management and tactical advisor, you are the guy that's in charge of the Alien response team.
Also, 50s: fuck yeah! fedoras and lots of smoking!
The alien designs they are going for are interesting too; no classical "greys", instead using strange geometry and shapeless mass to genuinely confuse and scare the player(something rarely achieved in the vidya)
To OP: Of course it is a sad state of affairs that the glorious old genre of turn based gameplay has atropied to the point of being solely produced by "scary soviet" studios(see;Jagged alliance 3) and indy devs.(frozen synapse/Flotilla).
Still try and give the game a chance though, the devs seem passionate about making the game in this format, and don't seem to just have slapped the XCOM brand on it to "milk" the easy X-Com market.
See what previews/reviews say and if you do decide to play it;
go in with a fresh mindset(Can't stress this enough, going in looking for fallout completely crushed the fallout3 experience for me.)
enjoy the fan service easter eggs/references most likely included for hardcore X-Com fans such as yourself, but see it for what it is; simple fan service, not proof that they are milking the franchise | The old XCOM is not coming back, sorry, look elsewhere; give the new game a try though, seems solid. |
jblomberg | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c0spilr | It's not impossible.
She's small, she has a downregulated metabolism that is accommodated by her calorie restricted lifestyle, and she seems willing and eager to accept that she's not going to be gaining any significant muscle like this, since that doesn't seem to be her goal. She wants to be skinny and small.
She's only done one 30 day stint with P90X. That's not enough time for poor nutrition to catch up with her, or for the stress of the workouts to take their toll from a stress POV. It may catch up to her over time, or it may not. | My grandma eats like a bird too, and she's still alive. Just not very strong. |
leavingharvard | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c0tbes6 | Its for anyone who wants to be in better shape, be it fatties who dream of being Christian Bale and his up to 1000 crunches, or fittits who want to tone up / increase muscle mass. | I HATE IT, BUT I LOVVVE IT! |
ohmyitsmark | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c0te3y3 | fucking OWNED
But really, in the sake of helping a fellow guy out, the single best thing I ever did to win attention and admiration from women around me was simply two things: be interesting and confident.
I used to be a shut in, lamenting the fact that women didn't fawn over me and come crashing down my door, when I realized I was simply just not all that interesting. I then decided to start doing all the things I've wanted to do for MYSELF (hiking, kayaking, rock climbing, longboarding, etc etc). After I started doing these things, I noticed that when I would start talking to the people around me (men and women) were FAR more interested in getting to know me since I had a lot of qualities they found cool/fun/etc outside of watching TV and sitting around. This then boosted my confidence and made me go out finding more things to do, which further helped my confidence, and this all became a kind of self-perpetuating loop. Also, taking care to look attractive helps (people like talking to pretty people). Don't fret too much about it though, a LOT of people have been in the same boat as you. | Start focusing on developing the you that YOU always wanted to be (not the one you think OTHER people want). The rest will come naturally afterward (but I guess you can always ask us kind, helpful redditors when it comes to that). |
intellos | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c0v19r2 | I'm not buying it because I'm broke as fuck. Actually, I'm broker than fuck. Every paycheck goes to bills that are already overdue, meanwhile I'm running out of food, and there are more bills and late fees piling on top of bills and late fees. | no money =( |
maximinus-thrax | worldnews | t5_2qh13 | c0ve0gj | A few years ago I read a fascinating book* written by a soldier in the U.K. army, who served in Iraq for 2-3 years during and after the invasion. He was actually a territorial (part-time) soldier and his real job at home was working for some big bank in the city of London.
When the British took control of Basra in the south, he was asked to take care of the finances for running the government. With the removal of the Sadam regime there was no one to pay anyone who ran the infrastructure- roads, sewage, police, that kind of thing. This soon became a very important job since the soldiers had to win the hearts and minds of the local population.
The writer also had another problem: the Americans had automatically fired anyone who had links with the Baath party and told them to go home; big mistake, as he found out that for some jobs (teachers was the first example) you HAD to be a party member, and all the Americans had managed to do was fire all the university educated level staff - so the first task was to get them back again.
The next task was to pay them - and on time. For the first few months this meant repeated requests to the U.S. command (due to his new job, the soldier now reported direct to the military in Baghdad) for actual money to pay everybody (and, actually finding out what that pay was because the locals all tried to get him to pay out more than he should).
But now to the crux of our story. One day, a large shipping container arrived at his office, and he was asked to sign for the contents. Having done so, the container was opened and found to reveal - millions of bundled U.S. dollars. Since money from the Americans always required a metric ton of paperwork, the author was a mite confused as to why an unrequested whole-fucking-shipping-container of cash should just show up. A quick phone call, and the answer from U.S. high command:
"The money sent to you is Iraqi money frozen in U.S. banks in the 90's. Since this money is Iraqi money, and you are giving it to Iraqi people, the U.S. army only needs to make sure it arrived, and not to check how it is spent."
The author was not happy with the situation - but it may account for a good chunk of that $8.7B | It wasn't U.S. money, so they didn't care.
*EDIT: The book: |
dinnercoat | politics | t5_2cneq | c0vrxlv | Where did the money come from?
[Clintons disclose wealth]( | Writing and speaking engagements. |
jcanci | science | t5_mouw | c0x94l7 | My dad is a geologist who heads a fairly major corp in Baton Rouge focused on coastline restoration. My uncle is a higher up for Exxon in Baton Rouge. Right now, according to my dad and uncle, the majority of the problem is not with the oil in the gulf, its with the way the media and executives handled the problem. The oil is rapidly diminishing, but because of the irrational fear and ineffective response, the problem is being made far worse than it should have been.
BP cut corners, and always has, but the problem will resolve itself. Thousands of gallons of oil naturally leak into the gulf daily(that is why there are, and have always been, so many tar-balls) and this NATURALLY occurring act has been perpetuating for eons.
This oil will naturally disperse and despite common thought, oil encourages microbe growth and can therefore help the swamp in many aspects.
There are several pumps working full time in the atchafalaya basin which are pushing the mississippi river delta out toward the gulf at a faster rate than normal. The real damage to the fisheries and wildlife is caused not by crude oil, but by fresh water being pumped into salt water reefs and habitat. | Most of the stuff you hear from the media is bullshit, the coast is fine and will be fine. |
tabassman | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c0zn3nm | Soda. Diet soda is bad for you because of the following: obviously still bad for your teeth and your body will think it is getting sugar and will crave similar carbs (this means you will typically eat more). The jury is out concerning cancer claims and other health effects of the different sweeteners. That said, I drink a metric shit ton of diet soda because I love it. My tip is to drink water afterward so you protect your teeth and don't have a sweet taste in your mouth for an extended period.
Body weight exercises. I've stopped going to the gym as well, and I would recommend doing something that also gets your heart rate up. Google HIIT or Tabata. Do body weight squats, pull ups, push ups, inverted rows, and burpees. Add weight via a backpack full of books if you need more weight. | Protect your teeth and break a sweat. |
ErroneousBee | technology | t5_2qh16 | c1070gq | It would only be a trademark violation if someone was using the name to advertise a related, similar, or competing product. The use of the name at all under any circumstances is not protected. Target has a trademark on the name Target and the target logo, but people are still allowed to talk about targets and sell dart boards without fear of legal action. | The legal notice is overly broad. |
IrrelevantTLDR | technology | t5_2qh16 | c1011n8 | If you read the cease and desist letter:
>Accordingly, Nutrilab and Dr. Allen demand that you immediately cease and desist from any further use of any of these marks. Continued, unauthorized use of any of these marks will result in legal action to protect said marks. Legal counsel has been copied on this letter. If you have any questions, please contact the undersigned. Your anticipated cooperation is anticipated.
Are you kidding me? You would think if they were going to these extreme lengths to protect Dr. Ann de Wees Allen's name that Dr. Ann de Wees Allen would probably want to proofread her own legal letter.
Also, obligatory:
Dr. Ann de Wees Allen
Dr. Ann de Wees Allen
Dr. Ann de Wees Allen
Dr. Ann de Wees Allen
...etc | A pound of potato chips costs 200 times more than a pound of potatoes. |
drivebyjustin | relationship_advice | t5_2r0cn | c103kh1 | You want to dump her so you can bang other chicks and when you're done banging other chicks you want her to still be there so you can get back together. You also want to remain "great friends" so she doesn't get over you and hence does not start banging other dudes. I'm also going to go out on a limb and guess that you will have sex with her occasionally when you're in the inevitable sexual drought you're about to hit. | No, you can't do this. Be together or cut contact. |
robborrobot | politics | t5_2cneq | c11cjxh | Actually no, But we cannot look past the implications of his power+political alignment, and obviously as outlined in this article, his Corporation no longer feels the need to maintain a politically unbiased news station. Before Reagan, his ability to do this and own multiple news media outlets in the same markets would be unlawful. Surely it was never in my interest for all of this deregulation. So why did it happen? How can the #1 cable news network be so blatantly slanted and still make claims of true, unbiased journalism. For that, I consider him to be a criminal, and always hope that some day we will go back to a point of realistic sanity. The times where people acknowledged the influence media has in our society. A democracy relies on the people being informed. If they are not informed, or falsely informed, how do you expect them to make accurate choices that align with real morals and true justice? Rupert Murdoch is successfully tearing this idea from the fabric of our constitution.
edit: Here's a good breakdown of the deregulation that took place. ( | Rupert Murdoch is a criminal. He's a bad bad man. |
Qu4Z | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c11ecs4 | Irony is using words to convey something other than their literal intention.
Also often, by extent, when something performs the opposite of what its name implies. For instance, if bullet-proof glass causes a bullet to hit the target when otherwise it would not have, that's somewhat ironic.
In addition, as noted by the parent, it is sometimes used (by analogy to the previous point) when something has the opposite effect of what was intended. Note that it has to have more of an opposite effect than not having it would have. A submarine leaking is not ironic, just unfortunate, but a submarine being somehow flung (and thus airborne for a period of time) is somewhat ironic, especially as it's called a sub marine.
Regarding the Lara Croft example, I guess it depends on your expectations. I mostly expect her to wear skimpy outfits and raid tombs, although I admit she has a certain propensity for animal abuse. | There is irony, but it's mostly sarcasm. |
velvetabyss | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c11em0f | Irony is using words to convey something other than their literal intention.
Irony doesn't require words.
> Regarding the Lara Croft example, I guess it depends on your expectations.
That's pretty much the crux of almost all "that's not irony!" posts. Irony is inherently subjective. In your submarine example, there's always going to be some asshole who will say, "I don't expect submarines to always be under water. Sometimes they are in dry dock."
> | There is irony, but it's mostly sarcasm.
Sarcasm is just irony used in a mocking way. |
fourthirds | worldnews | t5_2qh13 | c11imnw | This link]( describes the composition of red mud fairly well.
Bauxite, a rock formed of various forms of AlOOH and other random oxyhydroxide minerals, is processed to make alumina (Al2O3) by digesting the ore in caustic soda or lye (NaOH). At pH 15 or so at elevated temperatures and pressures the aluminum bearing minerals dissolve, putting the aluminum in solution and leaving things like iron, titanium, and silicon oxides in the solid phase. The valuable solution is separated from the solids using a process called counter current decantation. The solids are then washed to recover as much of the NaOH and Al bearing solution as possible. These washed solids are the red mud that got spilled.
Thus, there are two major toxic aspects of red mud, and one minor. First is the extreme alkalinity. Even after fairly thorough washing to recover NaOH, the stuff is still pH 13 or so. This is more than alkaline enough to cause severe chemical burns.
The second major toxic aspect are the random heavy metals that are insoluble in the Bayer liquor (the pH 15 stuff I mentioned earlier that does the digestion). This includes things like lead, cadmium, and whatever else was in the ore body. I don't know what was in the specific ore the Hungarian plant treated. Minor constituents of bauxites can be just about anything. The main one I've seen mentioned in news articles has been lead.
The minor toxic aspect of red mud is radioactivity. I should preface this paragraph by saying I am by no means an expert on radiation or radioactivity or its affect on human health, so there is probably a lot of nuance I am missing. However, bauxite ores do contain some fraction of radioisotopes, and these radioisotopes tend to end up in the red mud fraction, not in the solution. This varies strongly by the ore characteristics, but in a study of Australian bauxites, the radioactivity of the red mud was approximately 5-10x higher than the original bauxite. This begs the question - how radioactive is the original bauxite, and is it dangerous? 5-10x bugger all is still bugger all. According to [this Australian study]( red mud is classified as low radioactive activity. In my non expert opinion I would guess that the radioactivity is a far distant 3rd to the two chief problems of high alkalinity and heavy metal toxicity.
To answer a question you had elsewhere, it is doubtful that there are any organic solvents involved. The bayer process is almost entirely an exercise in inorganic chemistry. There are the odd organic additives used in bayer processing to help deal with scale, but these are only present in the ppm range in the undiluted liquor. I can't imagine them being higher than the parts per billion level in the washed slurry. | in the order of how problematic it is: alkalinity >> metal toxicity >> radioactivity |
nojustice | science | t5_mouw | c11npky | This belongs in /r/conspiracy, not /r/science. The author of this article appears to have no idea what they're talking about, and seems to have strung together a bunch of "science-y" words in as sensational and terrifying way as he could. | This article, and most everything else on cerntruth.com, is crap |
MarmaladeMaggie | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c11unzk | I have this quilt, that was kind of my grandma's quilt, except she never actually saw it. Some friends of the family bought it for her for her 83rd birthday, but she passed away unexpectedly a little less than a week before it. At the funeral reception, instead of putting out a guest book, these friends that bought the quilt put it out with sharpies. Everyone signed it. (I mean EVERYONE; my grandma was one of the exceptional people that everyone knew and loved, to the point that her funeral was standing room only.) But, when everyone signed the blanket, they signed it TO her, not US, the immediate family. It reminds me that there's so much love that she received, and I know it's because she loved so much first, and when I curl up in the blanket, it reminds me that I was one of the closest people in her life and that even though she's gone, that love is still there whenever life gets rough and I need it. | I curl up in my grandma's blanket. |
poncythug | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c13cxiv | Bruising is a pretty serious sign of a tear. Earlier this summer I thought I had just tweaked my hamstring, had a little bruising and some inflammation but I felt pretty ok and continued to run and exercise only stopping when the pain started to really limit me. I was finally talked into going to the doctor and discovered I had torn my vastus medialis and had to go through 2 months of physical therapy and I just finally started feeling 100% | get it checked out, it could save you a lot of trouble. |
gmrgrrl | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c14ezd3 | You're 19, you are physically fit within the guidelines for your height.
A lot of people have stretch marks, kids or not from weight gain/loss etc. They can fade over time and if you are super worried then use either cocoa butter, shae butter, etc on them and it will help them fade/smooth some, they will never go away permanently tho.
Heck at almost any age guys like naked women and there is a guy out there who loves everything, even things most people consider "weird".
I had a child when I met my husband, I had my first at 17. I had stretch marks, I was pregnant when I met him ... way popped out .. he didn't care. We have two kids, he still doesn't care. I sit and see the person in the mirror, extra weight, stretch marks and all and think "I'm disgusting" and while some people will agree, others will argue that I am not - including the hubby. | You're doing great for losing the weight you wanted to, you're looking good even if you don't think so. Chin up! Oh yeah and if you're freaked about the "color" of the marks check out the info about lotion up top. Heck you can buy "stretch mark cream" from preggo stores but it's overpriced and does the same. |
OrangeJuliusPage | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c14favb | OP, first of all, my penis and I both agree that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you by the way that you describe yourself, and we second that if you really feel that your self-esteem is this constantly negative, you may wish to bounce some of this stuff off of a professional.
Now, onto more real advice. 19 is in no way too old to be a virgin as plenty of well-adjusted and perfectly normal persons waited into their 20's. Part of it may be for waiting for a "right" person, or not being comfortable or emotionally mature enough. Whatever, we all have/had our reasons, and you are still incredibly young.
Along those lines, you have the diet and workout parts down. Use the next several years of your life to keep putting in "equity" into yourself, by which I mean, read plenty of books, get a bunch of interesting hobbies, take a cooking class, take dancing lessons, take a beer or wine-tasting class when you are of age, etc. In other words, you will be a much more attractive mate, excuse me PARTNER, with somebody who you truly love if you take the desire and focus it took you to get in shape and apply it to other facets of your life. Because our beauty is fleeting, but our personality and intellect can hopefully last longer, and if you've ever seen an old couple who are still madly in love decades after marriage, you can tell that the old man in the relationship looks at his wife like she is a beautiful as she was on their wedding day. | don't listen to yapcunts, keep bettering yourself as a person, and your guy friends probably want to fuck you. Find happiness and stay focused! |
Pete3 | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c14f0dw | i gained about 80lbs of muscle over 3 years, and i got a ton of stretch marks, that was about 2 years ago and ive maintained my weight since then and they've faded so much you cant even see them any more | they will fade |
LaJollaJim | politics | t5_2cneq | c14txod | Link is dead (FU youtube!)
Any other links? | Fox News and youtube both suck |
schillbean | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c168hyj | Wow, this turned out really long.
I think people took offense to the term "laziness."
I nursed my daughter exclusively for six months and it took a long time for me to enjoy it. Nursing is hard work, lots of babies don't latch on, your supply will go up and down in the beginning, you're constantly leaking, and, to top it all off, your emotions are going nuts from childbirth. Nursing is not the immediately beautiful and natural thing it's made out to be (at least not for all of us).
I don't know if it's laziness that brings women to formula. I think it's three main factors:
One. A lack of education and support from the medical community.
I wish just once the lactation consultant in the hospital had said "look, this is probably going to be awful the first few weeks. It's normal to have pain, it's normal for you to leak, it's normal for the baby to have latch issues. Just try to stick with it and it will get better"
If I'd heard that right away, I wouldn't have felt like I was doing it wrong and would have felt less overwhelmed. I got that talk from my sister and did stick with it and it got better.
Regarding medical support, most hospitals give out formula when you are leaving with the baby- that's basically a medical endorsement of formula. And, while the pediatrician thought it was great I was nursing, they also want to get hard figure on how much the baby is drinking, which you of course can't do with nursing. So a lot of women feel pressured to switch to a method that will be easier to quantify.
Also, regarding education, I hear a lot from people that their milk dried up or they didn't have enough. One of the first things my (second) lactation consultant said was that women think their milk is drying up when their supply is just evening out. It just feels empty because they had so much more milk than they needed at first.
So, while I'm sure plenty of women do have supply issues, from what I've learned it's more common that they're not getting the whole story about supply at the beginning.
Two. You have so much other stuff going on emotionally and physically, switching to forumla seems like a great decision you can control.
Three. Working. Before the big formula push in the 1940/1950's, most women were at home near their baby. It's a relatively new phenomenon that new mothers are away from their babies.
Not all employers are supportive of pumping or you just can't work it in. I travel for work, which is why I had to to stop nursing earlier than I'd planned. Even though I pumped regularly when traveling, I couldn't keep the supply up and had to start weaning at 6 months. | I think people took offense to the "laziness" term when a lot of other factors affect someone's very personal decision not to nurse. |
tsivist | science | t5_mouw | c16jvgw | Well, the "hard scientists" I know and work with would completely disagree with you. NASA, for example, has been hiring artists for years, and those artists have been leading huge research projects. I work with a visual artist who worked at NASA for almost ten years. I also work with an artist who worked with the military for years on robotics. I've met artists who've headed up research units at Atari, IBM, and Xerox. As an artist, I recently consulted for people at Nokia. | The arts and sciences have been in bed for years, and it's hard to tell where one begins and the other ends. |
21echoes | technology | t5_2qh16 | c16krua | okay, i'm all against facebook, but let's really break this critique down:
You Can't Delete Messages
First, the shittiness of this complaint and its being first on the list just speaks volumes. Why the fuck do I care whether or not I can delete messages? I have literally never once in my life deleted a message for any reason other than to make some service let me send more messages because my "inbox was full" or whatever. And, given my social media lab's research, this is true of the vast majority of people. Oh, wait... "OK, to be fair, Facebook does say that, while you can't delete individual messages, you can [...] delete entire threads." So this wasn't even a real complaint anyway? Jesus. That said, I guess maybe some people like the feature of deleting individual messages from a thread, and it's nice to give people options, so I guess this complaint could've been included as like, a footnote in an article, should that article actually be able to otherwise legitimize its title 'worst thing ever'.
Non-Facebook Friends Can E-mail You
I think this one speaks for itself. Why would this ever ever be a bad thing? Unless there's some spammy trick to it, and it's not true that they can just 'email you', and they have to sign up to read replies or something, which the blog author doesn't even know . I think I'd re-title this one "facebook is perhaps possibly going to try to get more users" and then sit back and wonder whether or not I can really deeply fault them for that.
There Are No Subject Lines
good complaint. finally. hopefully fb will go the way of most web2.0 programs and turn the first line of a note into the defacto subject header of that note, or better yet have an optional field or something.
Automatic Friendships
this one's a little blurry, and i think speaks more generally to the disconnect between facebook's marketing arm and its ux arm. As a whole, facebook is actually very well designed to be used among close groups of friends. The problem is that the marketing kids (driven by Zuckerberg's publicly stated "privacy doesn't exist" philosophy and a desire to get everyone onto their product) all decided that you should facebook-friend everyone you've ever known. facebook needs to just get around to putting a notion of social topology and degrees of friendship into their web model, with those notions being tied to privacy settings. it would literally take them about 1 week of programming time, and 99% of complaints i see about the service would be rendered moot.
that said, | facebook is a prime example of how technology is fundamentally altering social and individual norms by letting the profit motive infect user experience. their drive to draw more and more fully public users to the service far outweighs their drive to design a product which transparently matches and augments the existing realities of friendship, sharing, privacy, and the like. one of the most serious things that we as a society must consider in the age of instant progress is how we let short term benefits and ease of use in one category affect our larger and more long-term goals, norms, and happiness.
EDIT: formatting, clarity |
JackDostoevsky | technology | t5_2qh16 | c17vw23 | When it comes to piracy (having pirated in the past, but making an attempt to pirate as little as possible these days) I agree that stealing is stealing -- if someone creates a movie, or music, or a video game or what have you, that they deserve to be paid back for their hard work. However, I do not agree with the methods through which copyrights are put in place and enforced. TPB, while certainly frequented by many, many people who simply do not want to pay, tends to be inflated to a certain degree by the obtuse methods by which publishers enforce their copyrights. | WikiLeaks presents a more defensible position for freedom of speech. It's much harder to justify piracy as freedom of speech. |
BrainKatana | sex | t5_2qh3p | c18gcmz | If you're attracted to her physically but not emotionally, fuck her. She has a kid. It's can be really hard for single moms to get a good sexin'.
Consider that by being a really great friend who she is really into but has not reciprocated her feelings, you might be hurting her in a different way.
Don't go into it expecting her to be crazy afterward, but don't be surprised if it happens.
Stop compartmentalizing your relationship. If you're physically attracted to her and genuinely care about her, you're great friends that get along, etc, and you spend a decent amount of time with her, you're just a couple without a label who hasn't fucked yet. | Do her. At worst you get laid, at best you have a great time with someone who you already know pretty well (who will maybe let you keep having a great time until you're ready to move on and try out someone new). |
jeffp12 | nfl | t5_2qmg3 | c190egy | Okay, check this out:
AFC:
Pats
Steelers
Chiefs
Texans
Dolphins
Ravens
The Jets, Ravens, Raiders, and Chargers tie at 9-7. Ravens get the last wild-card. Texans win the south via 3-way tie at 8-8(Colts, Texans, Jags)
NFC:
Falcons
Giants
Packers
49ers
Saints
Bucs
49ers win the west at 7-9 (3-way tie with Rams and Seahawks), while the Bears (10-6) and Eagles (11-5) miss the playoffs. | 5 teams with winning records miss the playoffs, while the 8-8 Texans and 7-9 49ers HOST a playoff game. |
APphilosophy | politics | t5_2cneq | c19z08c | Pardon my rant, but yeah... i think we all can agree, fuck the banks. And it pains me to say this, but also fuck the people working for them. i have friends that work in banks, i know its a good job. but seriously, if you have any self respect, quit and do something positive for your community. its to a point where i will/can not open an account and find the risk of theft to be better then the risk of sudden insurmountable debt. For example, at one point in time i was working full time at an ok job and things got jumbled up. i went into a negative amount and had no feasible way to pay it. i am not saying that i am completely absolved of fault here, its just that's how things went. what piss's me the fuck off is that, instead of having any sense of fairness or logic to it, they insist that i must keep my account open at a negative balance for 90 days, incurring after 2 weeks a $7 a day charge for having a negative balance. in the end, it made a some 2000 bucks in debt in that account. So tell you what bank, how about i charge you every time we do buisnes, as my time is just as valuable as yours and my rates make no sense either. long story short, burned the bank on the account for bullshit charges and have said ever since, fuck those fucking fuckers. | edit: the only purpose of the banks is the keep you poor if your poor and keep themselves rich at the top of there fucking ponzy scheme. |
futuremaude | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1bchqy | I recently gained a good deal of weight and turned 35. I think the weight is mostly a shift in my metabolism due to age, and also eating dinner at my parents', which I hadn't been doing when I lived 3,000 miles away from them a year and a half ago. Sometimes it bums me out that I now need a 10 or 12 rather than a 4 or 6, but I'm also kind of enjoying being bigger.
Whenever I have that little lamenting thought about how little I was and now am not, I remind myself of the feminist theories that identify our value of thinness in women as being a social desire for women to be "small" and take up little space, which is one of the ways we as women internalize and perform our "place" in the world. Now I'm reminding myself to revel in the space I take up.
I also bought four new pairs of rockin' jeans yesterday that my beautifully bigger butt looks fantastic in, and that are so comfortable I can sleep in them. And I donated oodles of itty-bitty clothes to charity, liberating closet space for my new and fabulous wardrobe. | Question the desire to be smaller and buy great fitting jeans for your body as it looks now. |
beedeecee | politics | t5_2cneq | c1bwzp2 | Like rjcarr said, the 'oe' is a replacement for 'ö', which is a close-mid near-front rounded vowel must have thought otherwise. | We don't have the right vowel in English for a "true" pronunciation, so whatever his family says is cool. |
ctolsen | politics | t5_2cneq | c1bx1ux | I feel like I have to repeat this over and over, but speaking as a Scandinavian, Sweden, or any other Scandinavian or Western European country is not socialist. Stop thinking otherwise.
In fact, Sweden has been run by a right wing coalition government now in its second term.
It's true that there's an existence of socialist parties in Scandinavia, and the Labour parties traditionally have a socialist wing, but the grand total is maybe 15% of the population. The traditional social democratic thinking is for high government expenditure, for sure, but that mixed with well-placed classical liberal and conservative parties make for a pretty good mix in terms of policy towards business and such.
Personally, I think our public spending needs to be cut somewhat, but it doesn't make anyone disagreeing with me a socialist. Just some of them, and they're not that many.
While the US has something under 40% public expenditure, and Sweden passes 50%, the numbers for public debt are mostly switched around and even worse for the US, which also has to be taken into account. | Stop saying Scandinavian countries are socialist, for fucks sake. They're not. |
brentwatson | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c1bzxtn | I started out the same (6' @ 130pounds). I've tried a few different programs and tracked progress from each, thus far. I would recommend the following things for you:
EAT. Track calories & protein using something like www.dailyburn.com or I've heard that training is 40% workouts and 60% nutrition... this is much more true for us skinny guys (maybe 75% nutrition).
Try one of the following programs:
Starting Strength:
Strong Lifts 5x5:
Search "Ectomorph" for more stuff. | A H.I.T. program, and a LOT of food.
Good luck! |
cheney_healthcare | politics | t5_2cneq | c1cz180 | Obama extends the patriot act.
Obama extends wars, and ups military budget.
Obama okays killing of US citizens without trial.
Obama continues to allow warantless wiretapping, even though he said he would stop it.
The Tea Party
Isn't a monolithic organism
Many do believe in civil liberties
Stop treating the tea party like they are rednecks, and maybe they will stop treating liberals like stalin/communists.
LISTEN TO CHOMSKY!
"Noam Chomsky on why we shouldn't be ridiculing the right. " | This article and title are bullshit. |
JeanLucPicante | politics | t5_2cneq | c1czog0 | Most drugs are clear from the system after 5 days. Pot is 7-30. Abusers know this and will plan accordingly because the tests aren't random.
So, basically it is a complete waste of money.
Just because someone smoked a joint, doesn't mean they used their own resources to get it. So they are punishing someone(and potentially children) who doesn't abuse the system.
Alcohol is probably by far the worst drug problem for these people, yet it is not addressed.
Basically the end result will be millions of dollars being funneled off to a testing agency with very little savings. The offset of the savings would never cover the cost of testing and would create a "starving class" dependent on NGO support. That will take away resources for other people with more short term problems. | It can't work because it's too easy to game. The net cost benefit won't cover the cost of this. |
felimz | science | t5_mouw | c1d7hvy | Most engineering Ph.D. work is not applied in nature. I suggest you read some literature, and you will be pleasantly surprised that some of "the latest developments in Science" are brought forth by engineers.
I am a structural engineer. We build bridges, right? Well, I am publishing papers in the signature characterization of acoustic emission waveforms of corrosive materials. You'll see that this has nothing to do with building bridges. However, our research sets up a scientific foundation for engineering design. | Engineering depends on science; a lot of engineers do science. |
dorbin2010 | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c1dy1ry | Maybe it's just me, but I don't really see a problem with the lack of LAN play. I just go onto battle.net and meet all my friends in a private room and game on with little to no lag.
Six years ago I might have given a damn, but all of my friends have dispersed to different areas of the country. Even when we're all together, if we want to play SC2 it comes down to the extra step of having internet, and we've all had broadband since the late 90's. | The idea of boycotting based on a lack of LAN play is kind of silly given the invention of..the internet. |
silverhydra | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c1echuq | You are looking at an encyclopedia for bodybuilding. Aside from making a statement which cannot be proven (too many factors come into play when it comes to muscle repair rates), you are not doing a bodybuilding routine. You are doing a strength routine. There is a world of difference in volume for those two routines.
It's good you don't want to injure yourself, but it's not like you will go to the gym one day and snap in half. If your muscles are not fully recovered they will slowly nag you, your lifts will stop progressing, and then you should rest accordingly. Until you get to the point where your lifts stall and you actually start hurting outside workouts, just push through. | The facts you are reading are not facts, just an opinion. |
dneronique | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1etrd0 | 24 year old software engineer specializing in financial software. I read primarily magazines, non-fiction and reddit. The magazines are read are 30% for interesting articles, 10% fiction (short stories ftw), 20% mindless tripe (top ten tech trends to watch, interviews on what xx thinks about yy), 20% restaurant/bar/wine/food reviews, 10% misc.
There's no one issue I feel extra concerned with, but I do donate to the ACLU monthly and occasionally to [the smile train]( I'm also active in a few communities that promote math, tech and science to young female students. Gotta represent!
On politics: I cannot stand sensationalism and will not take it seriously. It's for this reason that I dislike most political editorials. I also dislike reading most interviews, although thats mostly because I feel like the candidate always gives overly-practiced responses that don't tell me anything.
On feminine topics: Maybe its just because I'm in such a male dominated field, but I never feel like articles written by females for females are at any way meant for me. My interests actually align must closer to what I see in city-specific publications (in nyc) - restaurant/wine/show/book reviews, interior decorating, domestic and international travel, life hacks. I also like video game/tv/movie reviews. And gadget reviews. I'm a sucker for reviews.
Non-fiction: If its well written, the topic doesn't matter. What I choose to read is sometimes random, but I almost always read it if its history, health, tech or world news related.
Fiction: 1000k words or less. Once again, as long as its well written, any genre goes (including chick-lit).
Misc: Sudoku and crossword puzzles, please. I also like really short tidbits of random info in random places. "The more you know" or "TIL" or "YSK" kind of random stuff.
The coolest things I ever buy are non-durable and are usually consumed immediately. That '93 Cab from Sonoma. That $$$ bill on a fancy restaurant with a famous chef. Those radiohead tickets. Oh! Also one of those panda hats. I'm also a sucker for adorable hats.
Weekends are spent sleeping, avoiding cleaning, watching tv shows/movies/video games, and then going out drinking/eating/general debauchery with friends* (Note that most of my friends are males from reddit).
I speak english. Do programming languages count?
I fine Jack White to be one of the most interesting people out there. Also Hunter S. Thompson. As for females, I really like Karen MacNeil (wine GENIUS), Julia Child and Ada Lovelace - true masters of their crafts.
8-10 years ago... I knew I wanted to be in tech, but I didn't have a strong enough idea in my head to really know where I'd be in 10 years. All in all, I think my 14 year old self would be stoked. | the atlantic]( meets [time out new york]( |
Boston_Pinay | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1ewsfi | 30 something engineer. To be honest, I wouldn't be interested in reading a magazine geared toward women as much as I would be interested in reading about women. I'd like to know of other women in business/science/engineering that are good at their jobs and are creating solutions for our planet. | Don't tell me about new waterproof mascara; tell me about the woman who invented it. |
dallashoosier | nfl | t5_2qmg3 | c1f61e0 | First off, I posted this because I wanted to generate a discussion. Whether I like this stuff being reported or not, it is, and I think it's worth talking about, even if the discussion veers towards talking about whether we should be talking about it in the first place. The great thing about Reddit is that if people disagree, they can vote stuff done - and a lot of links I post are voted down. This one has 15 upvotes and 26 comments as of this moment, so I guess others agreed that it was worthy of discussing. I am a blogger, and I enjoy presenting topics that will get people talking. I figured this would. That's why I posted.
Second, go ahead and report me to anyone. After what happened in r/fantasyfootball, I changed how I use Reddit to completely avoid even the appearance of impropriety. As many people know, I run the sports blog Midwest Sports Fans. It automatically gets put into the spam filter anytime I submit from it, which I am fine with. I still submit things from the site, though certainly not as often as before (trying to stick with only "the best" stuff) and email the mods to request that they consider it, which they sometimes do and sometimes don't. From that point, if it moves it moves, and I don't do anything to influence the vote. You are welcome to investigate me if you wish. I stand by my history. I am a very active member of both the r/nfl and r/sports communities and try to submit interesting links every day.
Yes, at one time I looked at Reddit as a potential source of traffic to my own sites as much as a place to browse and discuss and use as intended. I soon realized that a) this was not appreciated or accepted here; and b) it was a foolish and myopic view for me to take. Look back at my submission, vote, and comment history and you'll see the transition. You are welcome to "report" me again, though I don't know what you'd report me for. Being on Reddit for hours a day? Submitting interesting links? Participating in conversations? | I will "keep it up" because I do nothing wrong. If someone wants to "report" me, go right ahead. You'll find nothing inappropriate about how I use Reddit. |
FyreWulff | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c1gbv4t | The weapons are not hitscan, but the bullet travels the maximum distance possible in one frame in the engine for the DMR, Pistol, and Sniper Rifle. It's similiar to hitscan in that leading is not required with these weapons, but it has all the advantages of true bullet simulation like Halo 3 did. IE, no sweep sniping, no clients getting free hits, and the host doesn't automatically win if two people simultaneously hit each other on the host box.
In Halo 3, the only weapon that behaved like hitscan was the Spartan Laser (as it's maximum distance and first frame shot range were basically longer than any map that was ever shipped for 3). The BR, Pistol and every other weapon had bullet travel, which meant you had to lead your shots. People couldn't understand this and the bloom was not communicated via the HUD, hence the new way the DMR and Pistol work and the representation of bloom via the HUD. | the DMR/Pistol/Sniper behave somewhat like hitscan, but the engine does not use hitscan for various reasons. |
Cadamar | wow | t5_2qio8 | c1gdb8b | I still feel like this.
Particularly when the group is going down, I die, reincarnate, pop Earth Elemental totem (and apparently I can also pop Fire Elemental at the same time as of 4.0.6?), spam chain heal, thunderstorm and earthquake and save the day.
Later on I'll drop Far Sight for kicks. | I still feel like a Swiss Army Knife, moreso than on any other class. |
RAW-BERRY | wow | t5_2qio8 | c1ge9rj | As a resto shaman, heroics were terrible for me at first. I jumped right into it as soon as possible, and actually healed through my first heroic entirely w/o a wipe. However, I got kicked from about 3 straight groups after that, but not because I was bad at healing, but because there was no CC, and the CC I put up always got broken. So, I eventually got to the point where I just started giving out CC orders if no one else did. (Kind of unusual for me) And thus far, things have been great as a shaman healer. | It gets better as you go and learn. Just make sure people are using their CC's. |
gr4fix | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1i1qd9 | I will admit that while I was never obnoxious about it, I didn't understand the child-free mentality until recently. I was always good with kids, loved babysitting and teaching. If I was at a family or neighborhood party, the kids would naturally congregate around me and I'd happily keep an eye on them so their parents could relax. I always figured I'd grow up and get married and have two kids, just like my parents had done.
In the last few weeks, I've had cause to step back and consider what my life would be like if I didn't go that route. I haven't made a decision either way yet, as I'm only 23, but it's been interesting to think about and I feel like I've learned a lot about myself. I'm also more excited for my future in general, no matter how my life turns out. | I'm undecided, but I understand where you're coming from and I'm glad you're happy. :) |
laurie_ann | relationships | t5_2qjvn | c1i735v | While I wouldn't go so far as to say that you were being unfaithful, you definitely crossed a line IMO. It doesn't seem like you had intentions of entertaining cheating thoughts about your ex, but it certainly could look like you were.
>I stood up for the ex at the expense of my current relationship.
I don't understand why you would do that, especially to a girl you intend to marry. Her feelings should come before an ex's. It also looks incredibly shady that you let these (even you describe them as) "intimate messages" continue for three years after dating your current ex. It could easily look like you still have feelings for your ex, especially since you're now accusing your ex of being controlling. You should really try to see this from your girlfriend's perspective.
At some point you need to cut the cord and move on from your ex. Not to say that you can't have a healthy friendship later on, but that's obviously not what you have right now. It's not appropriate for your ex to attempt to invite herself over and push boundaries with you, and you shouldn't feel comfortable talking to her until she stops. | It simply comes down to a matter of what's important to you. Would it be worth it to you to lose your girlfriend for the sake of a "friendship" with your ex, who also has a boyfriend? Your girlfriend's comfort and trust should come first. If they don't, I don't think it would be smart to marry her. |
trancelogix | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1ig93q | It goes both ways. Having large, pendulous breasts are not what they're cracked up to be. Ever take off your bra to find bruises on your shoulders? Or try to jog and find out that no sports bra/duct tape will allow you to do it well?
Having big boobs sucks equally, if not more, than having small ones. I'd get a reduction in a second if I had the money/insurance. | I'm jealous of you all. |
thetreece | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c1iwjcq | Do more. The thing that helped me a lot was a high volume session of pull-ups. I would do 5 a minute, for 20 minutes straight (for a total of 100). Doing this once or twice a week really helped my numbers. I went from being able to get 13 in a max set to 20.
I would suggest trying to do 1 a minute for 20 minutes. If it is too easy, do 1 each minute, but on the 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th "sets", do 2 instead. Progress like that until you can do 2 a minute for 20 minutes. | Do a shit load of pull-ups with time constraints. |
Skippo | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c1jhh8f | a few friends of mine started playing rift. one of their dad's & his wife play, they ran one of the biggest guilds in EQ. the dad doesn't play games like most people, he likes to explore. while playing he instructs my friend on how to get up this mountain in which the friend dies several times getting to the top. so he gets to the top and the dad shows him a chest and inside the chest: bam, epic piece for his level. i guess there are such chests in each zone. | morrowind
also
holy shitttttttttttttt |
KantStopTheRock | politics | t5_2cneq | c1jv9w2 | I know sometimes people do this type of thing, but you misinterpret my particular motives. The overshadowed comment refers to the mainstream (LAMEstream, get it?) media, which likely won't give these rallies much play. You may have heard that tens of thousands of people have been demonstrating in Ohio, but this received press hardly comparable to the Wisconsin coverage. I posted because, like one comment already pointed out, many Floridians may not have any idea this is happening, yet would love to participate. | Sometimes people post things for like... real life, rather than made up karma.
Edit Spelling. |
iampayette | politics | t5_2cneq | c1kvipn | On cultural dependency. I'm not referring to "ethnic" or any group of people NOT organized by their geographic/economic positions. And I am not saying it's a culture's fault for becoming dependent.
For example, Native Americans on reservations. During the 50's there was a government attempt to break up the reservations and give them welfare, and send them to cities or subsidize rural farming etc. This was an attempt to assimilate the culture of that ethnic group. It resulted in a catastrophic destruction of native culture that has been under seige for hundreds of years.
Now, reservations are epicenters of some of the worst poverty in the nation.
Welfare, especially ethnically targeted welfare, is a terrible system.
As for corporate bailouts, those were absolutely terrible. And Bush is about as guilty as Obama for them, he started TARP. The banks have NOT been responsible with the bailout money, and they simply used it to pad their books and keep their investors from jumping ship.
Why else is the stock market artificially doing well, while unemployment is going up rather than down? Because corporate bailouts do absolutely nothing for the people in poverty that do need help. | People in poverty need economic help. Welfare does the exact opposite of help. It suppresses their economic options. Education, and employment are the best way to help.
Welfare on a small scale, such as disability, or temporary unemployment is a good safety net. Our current welfare state targets ethnic groups, and is a corrupt vote farm. Why are inner city schools terrible, while the welfare infrastructure works?
Bailouts are just payoffs to keep rich people rich when they fail at capitalism and economics. |
FKRMunkiBoi | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c1l46j9 | I like achievements and all, but it's rare that I'll play something to 100% completion!
Dead Rising broke me of the habit when I learned what I would have to go through for a measley 20 points! (7-day survivor, etc). This is valuable time I could spend with other games! | If it's fun, I'll play to 100% completion. If it's a total grind-fest, then Fuck It! |
whatsmypasswordagain | politics | t5_2cneq | c1l8j4t | I, too, would like to know the real story, but here is what gets me...
It may or may not have been the wrong choice, I have no basis to make such a claim, but Haley did nothing wrong (as in illegal). People are attempting to stir the political issue pot simply because they don't like the decision, and because they don't like Haley.
First, adding the "Tea Party" to the title is only helping to enrage those who don't care for the "Tea Party." From all we can tell in the story, this has nothing to do with the Tea Party.
Second, using the word "unjustifiably" is attempting to imply Haley performed some illegal act. She did not. She doesn't have to justify it, as it was well within her right at Governor to do so.
Third, $4500 is nothing in terms of political fundraising or donations. As Warlizard point out, the person who was removed pledged $70M. To me this sounds the decision to remove Moore was more person on Haley's part than it was political.
Realistically, a more accurate (non-political spewing) headline for this submit would be SC Governor Nikki Haley removes respected woman who from USC Board of Trustees, replacing her with Lexington attorney.
What I see here (in this title) is what's wrong with politics today. Everyone wants to whip up anger and demonize the other side. Stick to the issue, not the emotion. Use the facts to make the point. | This is not a "political or left v. right issue." I'm not saying don't be enraged. I'm saying be enraged for the right reasons and use the facts to make the point. |
seltaeb4 | politics | t5_2cneq | c1lbsik | Reply: yes.
Two right-wing parties splits the opposition to the liberal one. That's why it was so very, very, important for the Republicans to AstroTurf the Tea Party into existence, then assimilate it before the zeal over the powdered wig pronouncements of Republican snake-oil tent-church revivals along with a small but enthusiastic band of American colonial fetishist cosplay society members had faded, and that yes, despite 30 plus years and all of their votes, two terms of Reaganomics and three of Bushonomics had left a trickle-down mess that found Americans working ever harder for ever less compensation. They told you that if millionaires got taxes cuts, you'd one day be a millionaire too. The millionaires got tax cuts and became multimillionaires; Joe Q. America got screwed.
Then we were told that if only multimillionaires were to receive yet bigger tax cuts, the taps would start flowing; the milk and honey would flow for all who put in a good, honest day's work. So, the multimillionaires got their tax cut, and they became billionaires, and multibillionaires. Joe Q. America? Well, he got . . . I think you see where this is headed, nay?
Now Joe Q. America has been fired, denied healthcare, seen the teachers that taught his children to read and add foreclosed upon. Then, one fine day Joe gets an "Order to Vacate" "his" home, as the multiple trillions our Titans of Finance extracted from him in GWB's late 2008, ( pre-election of Obama treasure raid, so don't try to blame it on him,
But it's not enough for them. They want more. They'll come for more too, as long as a man, spouse and children can be driven into the street to increase their holdings. They would -- and have, literally, bulldozed houses rather than see anyone live in them. | You got fucked, Joe Q. America, and so did everyone whose parties you'll never be invited to. To the extent that the sociopathic economists care or even note your death throes on the altar of Ayn Rand, it will be only with sadistic delight at your sufferings before death.
Does that answer your question? |
C3LM3R | politics | t5_2cneq | c1ma8lz | I read through it all and don't exactly have a firm grasp of everything said, but I wholeheartedly applaud the amount of work you put in.
Upvote.
PS: Can you | it? |
mualexander | politics | t5_2cneq | c1mbpkq | Alas, it is you, SirBruce, who are [wrong]( [More on it here](
..at least according to this non-finance expert's brief research.
In the WI Annual Financial Report from 2009 , on page 61 in note 1, section D, entitled "Measurement Focus, Basis of Accounting, and Financial Statement Presentation" it reads:
> The government-wide statement of net assets and ... fiduciary fund statements, are reported using ... the accrual basis of accounting. With this measurement focus, all assets and liabilities associated with the operation of these funds are included on the balance sheet. Under the accrual basis, revenues are recorded when earned and expenses are
recorded when the related liability is incurred. | From everything I read, OP and Lighting are right about this year's taxes (and tax cuts) affecting this year's budget.
EDIT: Typo fix in section name. |
priegog | relationships | t5_2qjvn | c1nghfv | I see your point, but here's the thing. They're 30. She shouldn't be this insecure, not at her age, and not after such a long relationship.
I get that little details are important, but if OP is working, it's a perfectly valid boundary he has set that she should respect. If he were a hardass, emotionless robot in other aspects of their relationship I'd agree with you, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
In my experience, girls that require, no, demand (via emotional blackmail, as OP's GF) this sort of uninterrupted attention just don't work out in the end (at least for my personality, which seems to be similar to OP's in that regard). Of course I'm not suggesting he should throw away a 1.5 year-long relationship over this, but something has to change, and a serious conversation needs to be had. Expecting to be honeymooning it all the time, possibly forever (apparently quite a few people's dream) is unrealistic and unhealthy. And in my experience, it's also used to disguise other problems in the relationship. | Having little details is good; not so much when they're mandatory, and she should be able to respect boundaries like work time. |
RainbowYawn | sex | t5_2qh3p | c1o3mop | oh perfect! I had the same problem for a really long time.
Basically the only thing that can help you is PRACTICE. the more you do it, the easier it will get, and then you can make it fun for yourself and really enjoy oral.
I have chronic nausea, which also means a hyperactive gag reflex, which means I always hated giving head because I would feel sick and gag. My current boyfriend has been very helpful easing me into it, and i swear to god, the more you do it and the more you take notice of your partner's reactions and their enjoyment the easier it will get. It honestly only takes time, and dont force it down your throat if you dont feel like it. Some guys are happy to just have their penis licked.
one common misconception is that you have to deep throat to make it feel good... Not necessarily true, although its nice. I'm sure you know because you do seem intelligent, most of the nerves are at the head of the penis, which means just sucking the head to get used to it is a good start.
Another thing Ive noticed that has made me enjoy giving blowjobs more is that if I concentrate on how good it feels to have something in my mouth it feels pretty nice, basically develop a sort of oral fixation. Think about how sexy the mouth is! if you can learn to enjoy the feeling of sucking on anything you will learn to enjoy giving blowjobs.
Also the more you do it you'll notice your gag reflex will be put to the wayside. Basically your mouth gets used to having a cock in it lol.
Also one way to get yourself into this mode is to suck on your boyfriend's fingers for awhile during forplay... first of all, it feels awesome to a lot of people, and you can get used to the oral stimulation and learn to enjoy it, as well as just enjoy acting sexy. | practice makes perfect, learn to enjoy oral stimulation, your boyfriend will love it no matter what. BELIEVE ME. |
hoogian | politics | t5_2cneq | c1p1rba | The point is that resources are sufficient for the needs of everyone, not to maintain an arbitrary standard of life quality. Reduction in quality is clearly bad, but it becomes the question of "is my standard of life worth someone else dying."
Edit/ | scarcity is an arbitrarily assigned value. Does it mean much when you can say things like "yachts are scarce?" |
Susan5Foster | politics | t5_2cneq | c1p0bau | That doesn't make sense.
Let's say there are 20 people and 40 apples and each person only needs one apple. Resources are not scarce.
Now lets say 1 person is hoarding 38 of those apples. Resources are still not scarce but there is unequal distribution. | Unequal distribution can still be a problem with resources that are not scarce. |
mbss | politics | t5_2cneq | c1p1qhk | i'm sorry, i can't help but reply. i find people like you ridiculous.
first off, you said people would want to kill us because they "hate" us. insightful.
secondly, you said that COEXISTing is a "great idea" but is "missing a hint of reality"
to me there are two types of people: those who can imagine humans coexisting, and those you can't. those who can't constantly barrage those who can with "realism," and "common sense," which says that the human family is doomed to indefinitely perpetuate acts of savagery and violence against itself. war is unavoidable. violence is man's nature. etc, etc. then they usually spout out some social darwinian nonsense about surviving in wild, and then usually try to translate all that bullshit to the political and social arenas in order to justify being selfish and violent slags.
the fact of the matter is that modern researchers are constantly learning about the evolutionary attributes which increase the odds of producing surviving offspring, and throwing one's genes into the communal pool. much of this work has shown the attributes most likely to get you to succeed are the ability to work in groups. having a sense of community. understanding social cues, and so on. the idea that only the most vicious survive is passe.
thirdly, you said "blind to the gratuitous amount of hate and rage possessed by some out there"
this is just standard right wing bloviating bullshit. the same sort of bullshit you hear from those who would demonize muslims. people don't hate you enough to try to come kill you because you are free. hell, they probably tend to admire you for that. i couldn't get worked up enough out of some perverted sense of jealousy to go kill someone in a far of land. but if their government had installed a puppet leader in my country, if their military had bombed my home and killed my family and raped my wife, if their corporations had monopolized resources and polluted the land, if their financiers had destroyed the entire world economy...that kind of shit might get me a tad worked up. | people like you help perpetuate a violent world because you insist that human nature or "reality" demands nothing less. |
owlsong | relationship_advice | t5_2r0cn | c1p8z2i | I have never met this man in person, we've just been talking online, on the phone, and texting for about the past 3 years.
So you want to break up with your boyfriend of 6 years, move 1000 miles away, and move in with a random stranger you feel "close" to because you talk to them online? Either you're incredibly dim-witted, or your relationship is incredibly awful.
> Maybe its just some kind of commitment issue?
Well, yeah, if you've broken up multiple times, I would say that is some indication of a commitment issue. That, or your relationship is incredibly awful.
I'm going to be blunt: if you have gone through this break-up pattern multiple times, chances are your relationship is not that great or does not have a great chance of succeeding. At the same time, I highly doubt you are actually closer to your online lover (let's face it - this is an emotional affair), you probably just feel that way because you have NEVER met him and can thus fantasize about him being extra super perfect. If I am wrong and you do, in fact, feel closer to this guy, don't you think that's weird? Why is that? Is it because this guy is superior to your boyfriend and you two are just meant to be, or could it be that you've been paying more attention to the internet guy, investing more time in that relationship, and thus fostering intimacy necessary for a relationship? And as a result you've neglected your relationship with your boyfriend, thus feeling distant from him?
But what do I know, you should probably just go ahead and move in with this guy and everything will work out perfectly. | Either your relationship sucks or you're making your relationship suck by focusing all your romantic energy on internet guy. |
Todamont | politics | t5_2cneq | c1pq5io | Society is when a group of people work together with mutual consent to mutual advantage, not an unchosen obligation to sacrifice yourself to whichever group of thugs claims ownership over the piece of land you happened to be born on, for whatever noble means they propose to spend your money on and which they use to justify their position as your master. Hey I have a question since you don't want me using your electricity, do you actually know how to build an electric generator? How about a microprocessor? How much do you know about advanced cancer research and drug delivery methods? I think society needs me more than I need them. Maybe I will leave this society. Maybe I'll just start a subsistence farm somewhere and claim zero income to the IRS. Maybe I'll just run a roadside diner and laugh at the increasingly desperate panick of the people as the government runs our country into the ground. Thanks for the suggestion. | I don't owe you or 'society' anything, and if you think you can force my charity, think again. |
omniamutantir | politics | t5_2cneq | c1pvj8c | I'm sure this has already been mentioned, but let's just clear something up; it's a condition of this country that you pay taxes in order to be a legal citizen. So, basically, no matter how unfair you think it is, your choices are pay taxes or leave the country.
And, just to be clear, a country cannot run without taxes. It cannot happen. A government needs taxes to regulate and do everything its citizens want it to. | You know you're paying taxes, so it's not theft. |
Fluxiow | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1pyazj | I'm 18 years old, so many things.
I had a kid at 16, do people think I'm a bad mum because I'm young?
Does my body look bad? Will my boobs always be like this?
Has my metabolism slowed down yet? Will I get fat if I continue this lifestyle?
How my boyfriend thinks of me.
How my boyfriend's friends think of me.
My frustratingly high libido + the decline of sex in my life. It makes me go crazy and doubt everything. Right now I'm so insecure about my body that I can barely handle being naked, even alone, which makes masturbating confusing which makes me extra frustrated.
My anxiety, and how it's affecting my boyfriend. That makes me uber anxious.
Not having friends in the new town I live in.
My armpit hair is really dark and thick. Also my moustache upsets me.
The fact that I've written this out twice because I wasn't sure whether or not to post. Pro: It let's me vent. Con: I don't want to guilt my boyfriend who will read this, it's ALL me. and because writing all this out makes me want to cry. | I feel like a crazy person. |
Lokilost | politics | t5_2cneq | c1rqlp3 | I'm not against taxes, I'm against using taxes to influence and control, and to create institutionalized social programs.
Help doesn't come from government, however well meaning they may be. To receive help from a charity that receives any government funding, you need to meet government set criteria, which often times those most in need cannot meet.
Real help comes from individuals, who choose to help those in need with their time, skills, and extra resources.
The government, especially the American government is instead there to intercede to protect rights, and to oversee interstate and international relations. When I say rights, I don't mean what rights has come to mean today. Commodities-food, healthcare, water, housing, those aren't rights. Rights can't be given, and can't be taken away, only infringed upon and violated. Rights like life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, ideas, morals, religion, free thought, these can't be taken away, only violated. These are rights every man woman and child is born with. These rights are guaranteed, up to the point where they violate someone else's rights: someone is a threat to the lives of others, keeping someone alive requires taking freely from someone else's livelihood and pursuit of happiness simply because they have and the other doesn't... If everyone in need was simply given what they need from what someone else has, why would the someone that had continue to try and get more? It'll only be taken from them again anyway, so there in no need to be innovative and work towards a better tomorrow. | Taxation is fine, when used to fund the responsibilities of the government: to protect rights, which can't be given or taken, only violated. Rights can not be commodities. Charity provides commodities, and government funded charities create more problems than the solve. |
Lokilost | politics | t5_2cneq | c1rdpck | No. It's how you WISH things would work. And believe me, I wish they worked that way to.
It sucks shit being unemployed, and having no family to fall back on to help, and I know many others are going through worse than that right now.
Government regulated civility and government regulated charity at best creates a negative attitude about people who need help, at worst, puts them in a situation where no one will help them, because it's the government's responsibility not theirs. Besides, when is the government competent at anything, let alone charity?
Also, they make more because people are willing to pay more for their skills/services/ideas/education/whatever they have that allows them to earn so much money. Is it fair from the perspective of someone who sees them making a shload of money while doing less work? No. However, someone thinks whatever they have is worth paying for. If we take away the money and give it to people who don't have whatever is worth paying for, what incentive is there to do that job, and work to make more money? If there is no competition, no drive, if you can simply get everything you need from the government without trying especially hard to better yourself, then why would anyone bother to do anything worthwhile?
Most people aren't rich because they are cheating the poor. They're rich because they have a marketable skill, idea, education, or pretty near anything else people are willing to pay for.
Most poor people I know aren't poor because they've been cheated, they're poor because they lack either education, skill, marketable ideas, or luck. Luck plays a big part, but luck isn't controllable.
Government enforced charity isn't charity, and people come to resent it, and those in need of help who receive it. | Government enforced charity doesn't work, it just makes things worse. |
ShDragon | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c1rhnym | speaking form an independent developer standpoint) Publishers are the moneybags of the equation.
You're a Dev House that wants to make a game. You need to pay your salaries, benefits, electric bills, rent, and more. If you're making a console title, you need dev kits, and it costs to get the game approved by the console owner. It costs money to get the game rated by the ESRB and other ratings boards, etc.. You also likely don't have in-house testers. Or at least not enough of them, and hiring a QA team costs money as well. The publisher will sign a contract with you that you will provide them a game, and they will provide you money to make the game. | The publisher has bags of money in the bank, and they give it to developers who make them a game, and then the publisher makes that money back on the game's sales. (for independent devs at least) |
imagineALLthePeople | politics | t5_2cneq | c1rxho5 | Our government was constructed with our history of revolution in mind, and set up so that we wouldn't ever be able to overthrow it.
We are content, as many have pointed out, with what our government gives us but are dissatisfied with what they take from us.
Unfortunately, satisfaction is easily replaceable. Sugar and pretty lights seem to be just enough.
As for a protest, until someone takes away our sugar or unplugs our electronic connections, you won't see one. And then the scary part is, that at that point, the sheep will have no idea how to create a 'mass' or 'large scale' version of anything without mass communication.
Imagine trying to get a Reddit meet-up going without using the internet once. Okay, you can go to colleges and post fliers or ask around. But now imagine that if anyone found out you were a Redditor you risked jail time. Naturally your task becomes more difficult. So you may be able to find a handful of them at the work place or school but any more than that and exposure becomes too likely.
When the people turn against the Gov't and the Gov't fights back, this is what it will look like. They've made us dependent on social media, and mass communication that people have long since lost the skill (or desire) to form any large movement in the real world. The government has pacified and sedated us with the tactical precision expected of ~~a~~ the world military power.
Give them credit though, the people who actually run this country are intelligent. They know exactly what they are doing and how they are doing it. | No, examining the end-case scenario by terms of a full scale revolution, it will never and can never happen. As much as we like to think we can change the government for the people, we are locked in with this one. |
canijoinin | politics | t5_2cneq | c1rz9c2 | I disagree with all the "No, because we have x, y, z" people out there.
I think we can, but I don't think it's something that every single person in the US is going to get behind at the same time. I think it's something that needs to start small, grow bigger, and go on for more than a year or 2 for any real change to happen.
Basically you have to convince people they don't need the shit they have (shitty job, lackluster life, etc), and to throw it all away for hot hippie chicks, drugs, ignoring stupid rules, living on the road, and experiencing the simple things. | Start small. Don't stop. |
ryzzie | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1shtwi | I finally saw a dermatologist for my acne. I never had ANY as a teen, and then when I was about 23 I started getting those, then it got worse and worse and worse. I finally got on antibiotics, and Micro-retinA (I tried to avoid the harsher stuff at all costs, like Accutane).
I'm FINALLY acne free at 29. | Go see a dermatologist. |
slowmyrole19 | leagueoflegends | t5_2rfxx | c1shafe | Don't worry i am too. I played a game as AP teemo (recently bought and loving him) and right from the beginning i knew my teammates would be assholes. I clicked teemo and didn't lock in as usual and my team instantly started saying "OMG PLS NO TEEEMO HE IS SO BAD" and stuff like "OMG FUCKING NOOB PLS DONT PICK TEEMO" so right there i locked in. They don't know me, or my play style. Once i locked in they were saying "pls atleast go ad teemo" so i told em i'd play how i wanted to.
around 2 minutes i was 5-2-10 because the xin zhao that told me i stucked was audacious charging all my kills and ksing like crazy. I'd ignite someone and hit em with my poison and as they would run away xin would charge them and ks them. Game ended and i was like 7-3-15 (surrendered) and we won. I said "I guess i'm not so bad as teemo since i'm the only one with greater than 2:1 kd." they said "no you still suck we carry" | assholes are everywhere. just show them up. |
catcat6 | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1sxm0p | I'll try to lay out a few possible reasons for why people are homophobic, and the short answer is: bigotry comes in many forms, and all are insidious. Please note: this list is not exhaustive.
1) Homophobia as reinforcement of categories. Professor Elizabeth Young-Bruehl, a psychotherapist, makes the point that homophobia is quite unique among other kinds of hatreds in that it starts off as a hatred of certain acts, which is then extended to a class of people. Other hatreds, e.g. antipathy to blacks or women, are expressed in terms of general categories. She suggests that homophobes hate acts that they themselves can and usually do engage in, so, to repudiate these acts they must assign them clearly to another category of people. The category is all that stands between them and those acts. [See this awesome book for more.](
2) Homophobia as an extension of sexism. Male prejudice against gay males is a form of sexism. It is part of male denigration of femaleness. The psychoanalyst [Richard Isay]( has argued that fear of homosexuality per se is secondary in homophobic men to their fear and hatred of what they perceive as feminine in other men and in themselves.
For this reason, men are not generally prejudiced against lesbians, who present no threat to their masculinity. However, some men view butch lesbians as competitors for the attention of women, and see in femme lesbians a spurning of men. Sometimes we see the reaction where the men say, let’s show them what real love is -- and from here, it’s a short hop to sexual assault (i.e., "corrective rape")
3) Homophobes are authoritarian, status conscious, intolerant of ambiguity and rigid Researchers using questionnaires and interviews have developed a profile of the homophobic person. He or she is authoritarian, status conscious, intolerant of ambiguity, and both cognitively and sexually rigid. But the homophobes thus profiled are motivated less by conventional sexual morality than by a desire to preserve a double standard between the sexes, that is, to preserve traditional-- traditionally sexist--masculine and feminine gender roles. [See here for more.](
4) Homophobia as internal anxiety redirected outwards Some researchers have postulated that homosexuality is an anxiety-based phenomenon. Psychoanalytic theories suggest that homophobia is a result of repressed homosexual urges. Anxiety about homosexuality typically does not occur in individuals who are same-sex oriented. Instead, it usually involves individuals who are ostensibly heterosexual but have difficulty integrating their homosexual feelings or activity. [See here for more.](
5) An "Us v. Them" mentality. This is the subconscious belief that if someone else is granted rights, those rights come at one's own expense. You see this play out in most forms of oppression. One of the most common reasons why some oppose gay marriage is that it will somehow threaten or devalue the heterosexual institution of marriage. In order for one person to have rights, the rights of another are somehow infringed upon (another classic example: when women were granted the right to vote, the general view wasn't that women gained the right to vote, but that men's right to vote was devalued as a result). Just how that would happen is never explained, but those who agree with the notion don't have to explain; to them it seems a reasonable proposition, because they feel the threat, even if they can't put their finger on why. Obviously, this reason is an emotional reaction rather than a reasoned argument. Yet the fact that it is simply an emotional reaction is not relevant to the bigot; he believes that since he believes it, it must be true. And that is good enough.
6) Perceived loss of control over one's environment. Someone who lives life in a manner quite different that oneself represents a threat to that individual. The threat is a threat to the ego in the sense that one's own choices may prove not to be optimal; it is also a subconscious threat to one's security in the sense that the other may prove to be more successful. This is yet another emotional, illogical response, but one that drives a homophobe to rail against those who do not share their heterosexual preference.
7) Threat to one's own world view. Very similar to point 6, above. When someone has held to the same ideas and has staunchly advocated them all of his life, someone else who says he's wrong can be rather threatening. A person who was raised (by the church, by the media, what have you) to believe that homosexuality is "unnatural, wrong, perverse, etc" and committed those values to heart endure very strong cognitive dissonance. "This is what I've been told and I've believed all my life, so therefore it must be right, otherwise what I've been taught is wrong." It's a very egotistical, self-centered, and arrogant way of thinking, but hey, when you're dealing with bigots, is that surprising at all?
That's what I've got for now. Maybe that will help shed some light to your query. There has been a lot of work done in the academic community about understanding homophobia and it's origins. If you're up to it, I would suggest cross-posting to r/lgbt or r/feminisms and ask their opinions.
EDIT: Hm, downvotes. Interesting. Por que?
EDIT 2: Forgot to add a | Here it is: There are many possible academic explanations which assess the origins of homophobia. Here are a few.
EDIT 3 : Wow, thanks for all the responses! This is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping for! Ok, since there have been quite a few posts about this, I just wanted to add what I perceive are common justifications for homophobia, which are often confused for the origins themselves.
It's not natural. Some people cite to evolutionary theory to explain and describe why homophobia is "wrong." They say that since two men or two women cannot have a baby together, it is not natural. This is a very weak argument, because there have been hundreds of studies on homosexuality found in nature (in other species besides humans, but especially in our ape-like cousins--like bonobos and chimps). Among humans, homosexuality is found in all cultures and with about the same frequency it is found in America. Cultural norms seem to have little influence on the incidence of homosexual behavior.
It is a perversion. This is really a variation of the "it's not natural" argument, and so there's no need to reiterate what has been said in the above, other than to say that it is the"natural" argument with a religious overtone. In many religions, homosexuality is called wrong, or base, or immoral (for the origins of why religious leaders might have said this in the first place, see the above origins), and these emotional markers coupled with the "not natural" argument creates: "it is a perversion." Religion has had a huge impact on many societies--here in America, overtones of puritanism, catholicism, and christianity have dominated the cultural mindset, effecting the individual mindsets of many Americans who may not even otherwise subscribe to religious beliefs. That said, I am not trying to say that all people who are religious are automatically homophobes or bigots--I am merely trying to point out that, within the dominant religious community (i.e., "The Church"), homosexuality is seen as "perverse," incorrectly so.
It is against G-d's law. This argument it presumes that the homosexual is or should be bound by the religious principles that are propounded here by the religionist. To make the logical leap that because this religionist thinks that gay marriage is against G-d's law and therefore we should not make gay marriage legal, is to attempt to encode in a secular law an idea that has purely religious purposes. Until the religionist can come up with a sound reason why society benefits by the outlawing of homosexual activity, then there is no moral basis for such a law if one accepts the principle of religious freedom as encoded in the doctrine of the separation of church and state.
It's disgusting. Some people are offended at the idea of homosexuality because seeing two men kissing is "disgusting." They therefore justify their homophobia and their reasons against gay marriage with this outcry. There are many things that go on in society that some might consider "disgusting," but we don't outlaw them just because of that. "Disgusting" is a subjective perspective, not an objective assertion of fact. A homosexual person might consider a heterosexual person's activities "disgusting," but if anyone thought that we should outlaw heterosexual marriage just because some homosexual people thought it was "disgusting," it would be shot down as a ludicrous idea. Tolerance and respect are two-way streets, and while a person's view that certain acts are "disgusting or gross" is their own opinion, that should not be the basis for restricting the lifestyle choices of another. |
arbutus1440 | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1t01dw | You didn't ask for my two cents, but I've wondered the same thing about myself for many years, and I do have one experience that clarified this for me.
When I lived in Bangladesh for most of a year, I'd notice that straight men would often walk hand-in-hand down the street. It wasn't sexual or romantic in any way, in fact, it was kind of a "bro" thing to do. As I made male friends of my own, I found I just couldn't feel comfy walking hand-in-hand with a man. It just seemed "off" . . . until I sort of got used to it. Near the end of my stretch in the country, it wasn't a big deal and I'd do it occasionally when I'd be walking with a Bangladeshi bro. To me, that made it clear that my previous level of discomfort was a conditioning thing that could be undone.
Now, when I feel grossed out by the thought of gay sex, I don't really sweat it. I see myself as engaged in a slow process of undoing my conditioning, and as long as I'm not lording my conditioning over someone else, it's not like I'm somehow evil because of it. I don't let on to my gay friends that it seems icky to me; I work at an easy pace to make it not seem icky. In fact, I think it's often much healthier to deal with the little biases we have than to pretend they're not there. | I think you're on the right track. |
F4L | worldnews | t5_2qh13 | c1szgyv | To be perfectly honest the Chinese have the equivalent of Facebook and Twitter. The only reason they ban facebook and twitter is because of CIA's freepass to the data and using it as a device to spam / draw Chinese netizens' attention with free Tibet / freedom of speech info. After that, they released a Chinese version of Twitter and FB (the twitter also has a 140character limit, i believe) where the central government can also moniter the data and private info its users put onto their "fb/twitter", and also remove unwanted contents (this is also done by fb, but at a much less extent). | Chinese gov dont want American controlled FB/twitter, so they sponsor/copy a version for themselves instead.
A rough list of stuff that the Chinese ban can p much be summed up in a few categories: foreign propaganda (anything freedom of speech, rights and free Tibet related), foreign social network sites(and replace them with Chinese ones), and more disturbing aspects of porn (CP, and some others...) |
SkittlesUSA | politics | t5_2cneq | c1u302k | That is very unfair: it means that one rich man can produce far more "speech" in support of his candidate than any poor man. Why should the rich man be given that unfair advantage? Is he wiser? Is he more valuable? Is he a better citizen? Almost certainly not. So why should he have a megaphone, when everyone else doesn't? Especially when the court decision was legally dubious at best?
The rich can also afford more guns. Does that also make the 2nd amendment "unfair?" Freedom of speech doesn't imply that people do or ought to have equal opportunity to deliver speech. It doesn't mean everybody should have his or her own radio station. It doesn't even mean that people must listen to you, or that people can't stop you from delivering speech.
The left doesn't care about freedom of speech, they care about people having the right to freely express, and they define people as individual human beings.
The problem with this lies within the First Amendment:
"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech ".
Congress cannot abridge the freedom of speech. This does not say that Congress cannot violate individual people's right to freely express. It says that speech , whether from a person or organization or otherwise, itself is free.
A political ad, whether from the ACLU or a corporation, is speech, so it cannot be abridged by Congress.
> Money isn't speech
According to the Supreme Court, even prior to Citizens United, it is.
> Citizens United is directly opposed to your interests
Without Citizens United, Congress would be able to abridge the freedom of speech. That means it is in favor of my interests. | Liberals don't like the freedom of speech, they like the right to free expression. They think they are the same, but they are not. Freedom of speech grants freedom to speech, not to individuals (although it is an implication). |
Dont_stop | politics | t5_2cneq | c1uhl0g | I'm a very good shot. You do realize that nobody is a "perfect shot" 100% of the time right. Have you ever shot a gun? Even a BB gun? Have you ever target practiced? I happen to find mechanical objects such as guns, catapults, rockets, slingshots interesting which, is why I like guns. It's a something to do. If one-shot guns were an efficient defense we would have never advanced past muzzle loaders.
What is the difference between 14 and 16 bullets? It's all how you use it that matters. | 50 cent is living proof that one bullet won't always kill you. |
renegadecanuck | politics | t5_2cneq | c1uhr1l | Given that Stewart is the one liberal that O'Reilly will have on his show (repeatedly), and is actually somewhat civil towards; as well as the fact that almost every mainstream pundit always tries to say "Jon Stewart needs to admit that he's not just a comedian anymore and actually influences public opinion" tells me that he does have respect.
Add to that the fact that CNN actually used Stewart's criticism of Crossfire as their reasoning for cancelling the show and the fact that after the Kramer/Stewart debate (and later the Rally to Restore Sanity), he was all anyone in the media would talk about. He seems to be taken very seriously internally, then they put on a brave face and act like he's just a jester, so they don't have to admit that he scares them. | if he wasn't taken seriously, they wouldn't attack him. |
pejinus | politics | t5_2cneq | c1uisys | I'm a white guy who grew up in an almost entirely white neighborhood. The first black kids I knew were twins - both girls - who were born in Africa and moved here when they were babies. They were otherwise "normal" kids but, in fact, they DID smell different. I can remember the smell and the closest thing I can liken it to is pepper.
Of course I saw other black people but don't remember ever thinking anything of it - I just assumed they smelled like pepper, too. Then, when I was in the 5th grade my best friend was black - born in America, but his dad was Kenyan. The first night I stayed at their house, during dinner, I asked how come they didn't smell like pepper.
About 3 minutes of confusing conversation ensued as they tried to figure out wtf I was asking, while I embarrassingly tried to dodge giving them the real answer.
Eventually, they just changed the subject. I was so embarrassed and hardly slept at all that night. I still cringe when I think about it. | Black people sometimes smell like pepper, but, not usually. |
deathsythe | politics | t5_2cneq | c1uk29c | The ownership of the firearms you describe are completely legal in most states that aren't in the north east or California
FTFY
Also - you failed to mention the paperwork, background checks, and absurd fees required before you are legally allowed to own a Class III weapon. If you don't mention that, all the know-nothing anti-gunners will think that any Tom, Dick, or Harry can own a FA weapon. | it requires less paperwork to get into med school than to get an "automatic" weapon. |
Zak | politics | t5_2cneq | c1ukjms | My point is that if someone attacks me or an innocent person in my presence, I might well have to fire more than 10 shots to stop him. If there are multiple attackers, I might have to shoot each of them multiple times. Even if every shot hits the bad guy in the chest in a way that will eventually kill him, gunshots do not always stop a person immediately. | shooting 20 people is unlikely, but shooting one person 20 times before he stops attacking is more common than you might think |
liverstool | politics | t5_2cneq | c1uhovt | Right-wing political pundits are uptight about Common, a rapper from Chicago who rhymes in a more philosophical and afrocentric standpoint than the rest of commercial rap that "glorifies" violence and sex, being invited to the White House for some type of poet exhibition.
Edit: | right wing nuts have panties in a bunch about a black rapper being in the white house. |
mad_disciple | worldnews | t5_2qh13 | c1xrbex | What on earth is wrong with people's responses to this? The responses of redditors in these comments is racist and pathetic. Have a heart and understand the politics of the area are not cut and dry or simple to resolve. Also understand we (international community) should be doing more to protect the people in the country from violence and intimidation. The situation has been boiling for years but now is the time to make a difference in that country.
The same can be said for Bahrain, which has just been given a F1 Grand Prix for later in the year. To go into Libya and effectively try to force regime change but ignore and blatantly support other regimes is disgraceful hypocrisy. This is a story about humanity that needs attention, constant attention. | Redditors are saying moronic things and the international community is not doing enough. |
Dr_Acula_PhD | leagueoflegends | t5_2rfxx | c1y2cpi | So, I just played my first 5 games of Ranked (with almost the same stats as you, 340 wins, ~ that in losses), and surprisingly, went 4-1. Surprisingly(you've no clue how hard it is to spell that after taking a bong hit. unless you do.), because although I consider myself above average, i expected 3-2 tops.
As I did expect, I "cost" my team 1 game, being so under-fed with Garen I'd just stumble into the middle of a fight and bleed. Long story, but I wasn't the only cause, our Udyr was also about as worthless as a Ken doll.
With that said, if you read up on strategy and follow most of it, you won't be a detriment to your team. WARNING: My first game, I was highest elo/banmaster. I froze, and missed a ban. Couldn't find Shen. Only get half the champs to choose from? Maybe.
Other than that, I picked a champ I was comfortable with when I was first(once a tank, we Rocked Solid), played Soraka 'cause I figured no one else would(didn't see a single other the other 4 games, other than Nidalee. Others!) and again won. Complete the team is a good way to go, unless you have a Main.
Hm... last hitting is... harder. I didn't break 100 in any of the games, which lasted about the same amount of time. I truly sucked with Garen/Trynd vs. Nidalee/Teemo. We chased them to their tower, they chased us back to ours. I did my regen thing, he did his, we charged back into the fray. Epic, we came out on top, 7/5/8 with 41 CS in 34 minutes.
Not much warding outside 1 game, and myself a spot here and there. It really just felt tighter, ya know? You step into someone's radius, they're in your grill, better able to get the free shots.
Had one rager when I had the bad game, 1/5/1 or shit. He flipped it around death 3-4. But Zilean was behind me the whole time, only used his ult once. Another small bean on the Teammate side of things.
I can picture already counter-picking become a fun part of the game.
Hm. With all that said... | Same time of player, same situation, went for Ranked.
Your worst fears will be realized at some point. Deal with it.
Make sure you know the interface.
Have fun. |
sauteslut | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c1y9n3w | wow, not one of you understands exchange rates?
example:
in the US you make $1200 a month and pay $3 for a pack of cigarettes
in the EU you make 1200€ a month and pay 3€ for a pack of cigarettes
it means: if you make money in the US and spend it in the EU you change currency and pay more because of the exchange rate
it doesnt mean: some people will pay more for sony's new toy than others
clear? ok good.
one other thing...
if you live in the EU and buy a Sony toy from the US you will spend less money (currently the € has a higher value than $) but it would mean that you'd have to buy all your games from the US as well to work on your US machine (unless you haXor that shit, i guess) but you'll probably pay for it in shipping anyway | exchange rates have nothing to do with pricing of internationally sold products |
4nonymo | relationship_advice | t5_2r0cn | c1yc78x | Not knowing Dave I couldn't say for sure.
It could be totally harmless and he just enjoys your (and Jeff's) friendship.
Or he has issues and somehow sees this as garnering "points" with you, hoping that your relationship with Jeff turns sour so he can jump back in.
Does Dave seem like the crazy type? Is he seeing someone else? | Totally plausible that Dave is just being a nice friend but I doubt it, only you can know. |
terriblemodern | TwoXChromosomes | t5_2r2jt | c1ylia9 | It depends on the pill you're using. For maximum effectiveness, take within the three hour window.
For most combination pills, you can take the pill up to twelve hours late and it is not considered missed-- however, it does slightly lower the effectiveness. | Take your pill as routinely as you possibly can. |
AnnulledMessiah | relationships | t5_2qjvn | c1ytdqn | Assuming you didn't leave anything important out, it wasn't even reasonable for you to invade his privacy in the first place let alone continue being suspicious and to start spying on him.
Taking into account your admittance that you do in fact trust him, it's pretty obvious that you're just incredibly jealous that he's spending so much time with a friend. If you're honestly considering ending a year and a half long relationship for that reason alone you might as well go ahead and do it; you'll both probably be better off in the long run. He can find someone that won't want to throw their relationship away for nothing and you can find someone that you actually care about enough to not considering leaving for stupid reasons. | Yes, you're overreacting. A lot. |
refboy4 | technology | t5_2qh16 | c1zebu9 | There hasn't necessarily been "more" attacks than before. The same amount of malicious activity has been happening. Just now with the political sector concerned about it (read Net Neutrality), they are making sure that it gets reported more. It helps support their claims that the web is the new wild west and must be tamed. Unfortunately most people don't understand what they are really supporting. Safer is always good right?
Another issue is that with a down economy, companies take less risks. They are much less willig to spend money on "unnecessary" upgrades. From the very basics of business/ accounting school you learn that you must match your expenses with the revenue they help to create. IT gets very difficult for this in most companies because they are entirely an expense. Very few IT departments create revenue for a company and are therefore seen as a drain. With exception to a very small number of companies, most CFOs (the ones who sign off on the new purchase orders) do not like IT because its an expense with no obvious R.O.I.
With companies risking less on upgrading their IT infrastructure, you get stuck with increasingly older systems. The older a system gets, the more opportunity for its flaws to be discovered and exploited. A retailer I worked for (in 2010 mind you) has nearly all their core support running on DOS based systems - meaning they are roughly 15 years out of date (flat out archaic in tech years). The longer a company waits to upgrade, the harder it is. With technology advancing so fast, the baby steps and relatively minor system upgrades turn into IT overhauls. Its like going from a Honda Civic to NASCAR stock car.
Making them less likely to take the risk.
Meaning the security holes that have been there are still there, because they havent upgraded to the version of the OS, hardware, firmware, etc... that fixes that.
The reason why many of the attacks seem to be aimed at the government? As stated by "fundraiser":
>government organizations are on average 10 years behind, mainly because they are leery in adapting new technology that hasn't been "tested" yet. | companies are less likely to upgrade their systems in a crappy economy (more "risky" than in a good economy) leaving more time for hackers to find and exploit the old flaws. |
Joshman501 | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c1zgpxu | There were certainly issues, many stemming from the game misinterpreting your intentions. In particular disagree with evidence you chose or not knowing that you can figure some things out without every piece of evidence.
However i enjoyed it immensely.
It was an incredibly unique experience both in regards to gameplay and storyline.
It was interesting having a protagonist who is revealed to just be a man trying to do the best he can, neither a benevolent hero or traitorous monster, just a man with human failings.
As for the linear gameplay, i can see how it would be necessary in a game that dependent on story (though branching storylines could have been possible). It did grate at times but (for me at least) that was more than balanced by a sense of satisfaction at figuring out key plot points myself or nailing every aspect of a case. | Flawed but well worth playing for its originality. |
effing_voltron | relationship_advice | t5_2r0cn | c1zihtv | Dude, do you really want to bust your balls and only get 4 hours of sleep every night to see your kids a few hours a day in a hostile environment?
I'd rather pay child support and fucking skip out on that shit. You can spend more time with your kids under visitation rules AND have to work less. And get bitched at less. | Fuck that bitch. |
utpanthro | dating_advice | t5_2s4kl | c24sku7 | Just let it go man, if she unfriended you, there's nothing that's going to happen there. Find someone else and use this as a learning experience. You probably did too much too fast, put too much pressure on it. get on match or okcupid and wink/message a ton of girls on there. You'll mess up on the first few messages but one will eventually give you a date then you start messing up on those and will learn how to do this stuff properly. And don't ever let your friend pull them aside and tell them how much of a newb you are, that will sink you fast. practice practice practice. | Let her go, nothing is going to happen, you can't get them all but you can learn from the failures. |
Franz_Ferdinand | Fitness | t5_2qhx4 | c20g38y | Nah, it's a Biblical passage. It comes from John 7:53-8:11. The story goes that a woman was accused of slavery and the Pharisees asked Jesus what should be done. Should they stone her as it is prescribed in the Law of Moses?
Jesus responds with: "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her". All those there realized that they were not blameless nor sinless so they leave one by one until it is only Jesus and the Adulteress.
Jesus then says to her: "Go and sin no more". | Clean up your own life before you start telling others to deal with theirs. |
h00pla | gaming | t5_2qh03 | c21fcqm | Besides, why is "immersion" so important? I've never seen a game sell itself as "immersive" and actually be.
Immersion isn't usually a selling point for the same reason 'Fantastic Foley editing' isn't a part of advertising campaigns. They're important to the game, but they're something that can only take place as a background component. In general, no one thinks 'Man, those are some pretty awesome footstep noises that lizard man is making, it's totally what I think a large bipedal lizard foot sounds like!' If it's done right, you don't even consciously notice, but if it was done wrong or left out entirely it would jar the experience and be very noticeably lacking. The same for immersion. It's not something you actively work at while playing a game, but something you slip into. I didn't try to agitate myself while playing Amnesia, but because of all the background components in play, I slipped into the main characters shoes and felt what I believed he felt in those situations. | Immersion is one of those things that only works when you don't try at it as the player, nor does it work if it's your sole focus as a developer, it's the result of good work on many levels. |